Ettumanoor Festival

Apart from the scenic beauty, Kerala's beauty is also present in the charm of the people's religious beliefs. Located on the highway between Kottayam and Kochi, which is 12km northeast of Kottayam, Ettumanoor is one of the most famous pilgrim centers of Hindus. This temple is the most affluent devaswom(religious trust)in Kerala and thus the Ettumanoor festival is very splendidly celebrated every year on the Thiruvathira day of the month Kumbham(Feb-March). The Ettumanoor festival in Kerala is celebrated to honor the longstanding Ettumanoor temple that brought glory and harmony to the place.

About Ettumanoor Festival

One of the famous temple festivals of Kerala, Ettumanoor festival is celebrated with great pomp and show annually in Kottayam. The Ettumanoor Festival, the most outstanding temple festival of Kerala is celebrated with much of splendor every year at the age-old Shiva temple located at Ettumanoor in Kerala.

The Parable : the temple is beautifully adorned with fresco paintings which add more color to this festival of Kerala. The temple is dedicated to lord Shiva and the temple is also famous for a parable from the ancient epic that says that Pandavas and the sage Vyas had worshipped here. Ettumanoor festival is a ten day celebration, during which all the riches of the temple are exhibited formulating it into a lavish affair.

Rituals and Celebration of Ettumanoor in Kerala : The entire festival is full of many performances and staging of ritual art forms in the temple. People from different districts of Thiruvananthapuram gather in big numbers to witness the 8th day, which is the most important day of this festival. On this day after performing Arattu, the holy bath a procession takes place, which carries the idol of lord Shiva to a well decorated place in the north-east corner of the temple. The former act is followed by an exhibition of temple treasure of an idol of seven and a half elephants all made of gold these elephants embody Dik paalakas or the guardians of the cardinal directions. The elephants are made of nearly 13kilograms of gold.

All these make the Ettumanoor Festival, the most prominent and colorful temple festival of Kerala.

This festival provides an opportunity to view the age-old riches of India, thus a South India tour during this festival surely grants a close glance at the unforgettable sight of the cultural inheritance of Kerala.